US Capitol Riot: What to know, where to watch the Jan. 6 insurrection hearings

WASHINGTON - The House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will hold its first hearing Thursday night.

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The series of hearings are expected to feature new video, audio and other evidence collected during the panel's yearlong investigation that will show the deadly violence that erupted when then-president, Donald Trump, tried to overturn Joe Biden's election victory.

WHERE TO WATCH

You can watch Thursday night’s hearing LIVE on FOX 5 starting at 8 p.m. Find complete recaps on our newscasts Thursday night and Friday morning and online at FOX5DC.com

For more information, watch FOX 5’s Lindsay Watts and her examination of the insurrection in her podcast, Siege On Democracy.

US Capitol Riot: What you need to know about the Jan. 6 insurrection hearings

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol will hold the first in a series of hearings laying out its initial findings Thursday night, a highly anticipated look at evidence the panel has been gathering for the last year.

HOW WE GOT HERE

The House panel was formed in 2021 after Senate Republicans blocked the formation of an independent Jan. 6 commission. That independent commission would have had an even number of Republicans and Democrats and would have operated outside of Congress.

The House approved the formation of the committee in June, and the panel started its work within weeks.

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FILE - Rioters storm the United States Capitol building on Jan. 6. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

WHAT WILL BE DISCUSSED

The panel is expected to unveil unreleased video, audio and other evidence during the series of hearings. Live testimony is expected Thursday from a police officer who was attacked during the riot and from a documentary filmmaker who recorded the violence.

SIEGE ON DEMOCRACY | FOX 5'S PODCAST ABOUT THE INSURRECTION AT THE U.S. CAPITOL ON JAN. 6.

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WHO WILL BE THERE

The committee hasn’t yet announced the focus of each hearing, or who all the witnesses will be. They are expected to seek public testimony from witnesses who were revelatory when interviewed behind closed doors.

Included are former Trump White House aides who have been cooperative and others who have detailed Trump’s pressure on state and federal authorities to overturn the election.

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COMMITTEE TEAMS

The committee divided the investigation into different subject teams that are expected to provide structure to the hearings.

One team has looked into the government’s response. Another team has been looking into donors who helped finance the events of the day. One of the investigative teams has focused on Trump and those who tried to help him overturn the election.

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NOT INTENDED TO BE A PROSECUTION

Congress doesn’t have the power to press charges, so the hearings aren’t intended to be a prosecution. Members of the panel have encouraged the Justice Department to aggressively investigate the attack, as well.

Lawmakers have also discussed the possibility of sending a criminal referral to the Justice Department recommending that certain individuals — perhaps even Trump — should be prosecuted.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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